Dark Souls DLC: Artorias of the Abyss (Prepare to Guess)

Few games have garnered the rabid following that FromSoftware’s Dark Souls enjoys. There are whole forums and YouTube channels dedicated to all aspects of the game. The lore, the near infinite builds, combat mechanics and improving the PVP aspect are topics frequently discussed. Such is the fervor that a massive petition rolled out asking for a PC port. The developers answered with a port and extra content, which has been confirmed for PS3 and Xbox 360 as well.

The story in Dark Souls is not told as in most role playing games. The cut scenes are rare and narration is kept at a bare minimum therein. The plot that the community has been able to discern is pieced from item descriptions and NPC dialogues. An obsessive streak pays off in such a mysterious game. To wit, after rooting in the games files, text dumps and unused enemy models were brought to attention. All together with developer interviews, leaks and hefty amounts of conjecture a picture of the protagonist’s true purpose becomes clearer.

The DLC, titled Artorias of the Abyss, may illuminate Artorias’ role in the events prior to Lord Gwyn’s sacrifice. In the quest, the player may chose from two endings upon beating Gwyn, the final boss: sacrifice himself to continue Gwyn’s Age of Fire, a world of hollows and powerful magic beings; or extinguish the age and become the Dark Lord, bringing forth a new age for humanity to develop. While many felt justified siding with humanity, the teaser trailers released hint at a reason why the Age of Fire may have been needed. Traveling in time to Oolacile, a town long gone in the main quest, new knowledge awaits regarding its destruction, how it “brought the abyss upon itself,” and if it influenced Gwyn’s decision. Itchy fingers cannot wait to fight Artorias and seeing what role the other Knights of Gwyn, Lord Blade Ciaran and Hawkeye Gough, play in the story, perhaps revealing why they left while their captain, Dragonslayer Ornstein, stayed.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3HdfzC7Shg[/youtube]

As is FromSoft’s signature, they only leave players with more questions. The PC port is releasing on August 24th and for sure everyone on consoles will buy the bonus upon its winter release. For those pirating the game and trying to play it before release, FromSoft has promised Phantom enemies and invaders with maxed out stats that will make the pirates’ lives hell. Mostly, players await confirmation of a new matchmaking system, a PVP Arena and information on new gear. Publisher Namco Bandai has assured users the difficulty has not been turned down and that it is releasing through Steam after the outcry from rumors the game was Games For Windows Live only. Aside from the complaints of the locked FPS rate and no modding, the PC audience seems ready to tackle this beloved gem. There will be blood and there will be rage and Dark Souls will continue to cement its place as the action RPG to beat.